How New York Created a Solar Boom

Last October, Elon Musk introduced Tesla’s new solar paneled roof shingles on the Los Angeles set of the television show, Desperate Housewives. The shingles, which are expected to be available for purchase some time this year, come in four different options designed to mimic the look of terracotta, slate, or asphalt. Gesturing to the manicured houses around him, Musk revealed that each was completely solar-powered.

While Musk’s innovative new product will undoubtedly push the solar energy industry further into the mainstream, its introduction on Wisteria Lane is targeted at a distinctly suburban—and West Coast—lifestyle. Absent from this vision are the dense urban areas of the less sunny Northeast megalopolis, whose population is expected to grow to 58 million by 2025. How does this condensed stretch of the country fare in the trajectory of solar energy?